Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Search This Blog

Pages

Album Review: Let It Go by Eileen Carey

Country. Pop. Rock. Eileen Carey's music blends all three styles together in a way that feels uniquely hers. I've just been trying to think if there's any other artists out there like her right now and I can't think of any. Eileen grew up in Ohio and relocated to California over 20 years ago. An independent artist, she has made quite a name for herself in California. That said, she spends a fair amount of time in Nashville and come to find out, she used Nashville musicians to track the songs of Let It Go with all of the vocals recorded in Los Angeles. Oh, what a world we live in. I feel like you can hear influences of both places throughout the album.

Let It Go is Eileen's fourth album and features three covers and eight originals. Five of which Eileen co-wrote and I was pleasantly surprised to see that another artist I like, Amy Dalley, co-wrote the other three. She (Amy) wrote "Anything That Reminds Me Of You" with her husband, Jack Sizemore, who is one of Jason Aldean's guitar players. Funny how things work out.

The best thing about Let It Go is how positive and enpowering all of the songs are. The songs are all about letting go of the things that weigh us down so that we might be able to move on to something better. This is a strong album and one that I would definitely recommend taking the time to check it out for yourself.

So how about we take a few minutes to look at each of the tracks?

"Bring On the Big" - A song, just released to radio, that's all about deciding to go after the big dreams that you have for your life. It's about being ready to take that leap of faith and just go for it. In an album that is so wonderfully upbeat, this is the perfect song to kick things off. It's inspiring and a good one to sing along with since it's one of those songs that makes you feel like you could actually go out there and make your dreams come true. The big ones.

"Anything That Reminds Me of You" - One of the things I enjoy about this album is the recurring theme of letting go of the things and feelings that hold us back. This one is about getting rid of everything left over from a relationship that has now ended so you can finally move on. With an infectious beat that'll most likely get you dancing around while you pack up all the things that person left behind. Or, as the title says, anything that makes you think of them.

"Let It Go" - Not to be confused with the smash hit from Disney's Frozen with the same name. Much less angst in this one. Who said letting go of things had to be a painful experience? What I think makes Eileen such an interesting artist is her ability to make her songs come across like advice from a good friend. Someone who has gone through some things and wants to share the lessons she learned to help other people going through them. It's a combination of the actual lyrics and the way she delivers them. This is the first album of hers I've ever listened to and yet you almost feel like this is someone you actually know, as weird as that may sound. Some singers just have that knack.

"Don't Get Me Wrong" - Honestly, this is an album that you can really just dance your way through. As some of you know, I always love when albums have a good flow to them and Let It Go absolutely does. Fantastic energy throughout and "Don't Get Me Wrong" is a great example of that. Always nice when an album is good for your waistline as well as your ears. One of the covers on the album, this was originally done by The Pretenders.

"Party At the Beach" - Because sometimes you just need to destress and let your hair down. What better time to do that than the weekend? As Eileen sings, "I've been working so hard I deserve to smile". Indeed. If you can get to a beach, do it, but you can just crank this up and have a party in your living room. Or wherever. Some cool guitar licks in this one.

"Only the Lonely" - The second cover on the album, this song was originally performed by The Motels. One of the more low key parts of the album, tempo wise. If there was going to be a point where the energy level might have dipped, it more than likely would have been here. But it didn't do that. It's a great vocal by Eileen, but I want to give the musicians their due here. I like the instrumental break quite a bit. That wonderful energy that's flowed through the album is still very much present which is great.

"Joey" - Cool groove to this one. Everyone is cooking on this track, but it's more of a slow burn, if you follow. It's one you sort of sink into. I caught myself singing along with the chorus by the end the first time I listened to it. I love when that happens. I think out of all of the songs on the album, this is one of the ones I'd want to hear live the most. Off the top of my head I can't think of any song even remotely like this out right now. This is a good thing, especially today.

"Walking On Sunshine" - I don't think it's possible to be in a bad mood when listening to this song. I really don't. Originally performed by Katrina and the Waves, this song is one of those that never fails to cheer me up whenever I hear it. Regardless of who sings it. That said, Eileen's version might actually be my new favorite. She sounds like she's having a blast singing it and I love that. It makes you want to sing along as the top of your lungs. I think it'd be so much fun to hear her perform it live.

"Bottle Your Crazy Up" - In which Eileen gives some advice to a friend that's about to re-enter the dating scene. Namely, to "bottle your crazy up". Honestly, I think a lot of people could benefit from this advice. In this age of social media, it's become incredibly easy for people to share too much about themselves. Better to keep some things to yourself. Another that had me singing along with the chorus the first time I listened to it. Fun track.

"Sweet Love" - Okay, so we had a song about moving on from a bad relationship. Seems only right to balance that out with a song that celebrates a good relationship. It's a sweet, catchy song about a, well, sweet love. This might be an odd comparison, but the way this songs flows makes me think of a roller coaster. Go with me. It builds up during the verses to lead up to the energetic chorus and then the slower bridge. Back up to that chorus. The California influence feels the strongest on this track to me.

"Love Never Dies" - An important reminder that while things may get tough sometimes, the reality is that love never dies. Even when you fight. Even with all the ups and downs that are part of living. The perfect track to close out the album; it really seems to sum it all up. "Love never dies/ it goes on forever". In reading about Eileen, she credits The Beatles as one of her biggest influences and this song feels like a testament to that to me. It makes me think of their hit "All You Need is Love". Not that it sounds like it because it doesn't. But "Love Never Dies" feels like it could be a companion piece and I think that mashing them up together would work very well.

All in all, a very solid album and one that I'm sure I'll be listening to over and over again. I love that there's albums this positive out there, especially when so many of the songs out lately focus on drinking and partying. Especially with so many acts overly concerned with giving off attitude and showing how tough they think they are. I've complained about that before - more than once. There's a place for that kind of stuff, to be sure, but it's wonderful when you come across an album that just makes you feel good. That's what Let It Go does. It puts me in a happier place when I listen to it. And I think it can do the same for you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I first wrote about the men and women of Voctave back in August during my month of Disney. I did a video spotlight on their beautiful "Disney Love Medley" that featured Kirstin Maldonado and Jeremy Michael Lewis. You can find right that post right here. I definitely recommend checking that out, if only to watch the video. This is another a cappella group that I've basically fallen in love with and one that really makes me miss being in a choir.

Voctave consists of Kate Lott (soprano), Tiffany Coburn (soprano), Ashley Espinoza (alto/soprano), Sarah Whittemore (alto), Chrystal Johnson (alto), E.J. Cardona (tenor), Tony De Rosa (tenor/director), Kurt von Schmittou (baritone), JC Fullerton (bass) and James Ray (tenor/arranger). They're a bigger group than most of the other a cappella groups I listen to and they put out this wall of beautiful harmonies when they sing. Honestly, the word beautiful doesn't even do them justice. They are vocally stunning and captivating…

As my title states, band members deserve attention too. They deserve to be appreciated and loved by the fans as well. Especially when they're as involved as these guys are. I mean, you seem them in pretty much every video that Jason does and not just in the background either. They tend to get featured pretty heavily. And when you go see them live, it's the same thing. These guys are more than musicians, they're entertainers. Jason's right to use words like we and ours when it comes to their show because that's what it is: their show. Obviously Jason is always going to be the main attraction, but I promise you that you could focus on any of the band guys and still be entertained.

In fact, I'd recommend doing that. At any concert you go to. Take some time to watch everyone on that stage, if only for a little while. Musicians are pretty interesting to watch. There's so many different kinds of players out there. Different kinds of bands. So what kind of band is…

I'm pretty sure that this is the first lullabies album I've ever gotten. I don't have any children of my own, but this appealed for me for two reasons. The first being that it's be The Hound + The Fox and I've come to really like them. If you don't know, The Hound + The Fox is the husband and wife duo of McKenzie and Reilly Zamber. I did a video spotlight on them earlier this year which you can find here, if you're interested. When they announced that this album was coming, I knew that I'd be getting it.
The other reason this album appealed to me is that as some of you reading this might know, I struggle with anxiety. Music can be such an important tool in helping to deal with certain things like anxiety. And a lullabies album seems like a good way to go as you expect the songs to be calming. Plus it's The Hound + The Fox and they make beautiful music. This album is no exception to that.
So how about we look at each track by itself? It's worth…